Several games and sports that involve game-specific balls or projectiles use nets or netting to divide one participant or team from the other. Popular examples include tennis in its various forms, volleyball, and table tennis. Each of the courts or playing surfaces for these games includes a net terminated by standards or posts at each end, with a support cable or cord inside a headband atop a mesh or fabric netting, for the purpose of establishing the topmost boundary of the dividing net. Typically, this cable or cord has a fixed loop at one end, to attach to the support post by means of a hook, bolt, or other protruding anchor point.
The tension applied to this cable or cord (commonly referred to as the “net cord”) has a significant effect on the playability of the net, in the way the ball is deflected when it strikes the net cord during play. As examples, in tennis and table tennis, a ball that strikes the net cord when “served” may stay within the field of play and be re-served. A net cord with too little tension may absorb the kinetic energy of the ball, resulting in a soft falling of the ball to the playing surface, while a net cord that is too tight can deflect the ball higher from the playing surface, causing it to fly past the playing surface boundary or targeted area or to bounce high into the air making an easy shot for the opposite player.
If the net tension on courts at a common facility vary unpredictably from court to court, players may be uncertain how a ball may react if it strikes the net cord. Furthermore, if the net cable is pulled too tightly, the net, net posts and footings may be damaged. For instance, over-tension on the net cable may result in cracks in the courts and damage to net post foundations, necessitating repairs that can cost thousands of dollars and result in down court time. Regulatory bodies of the above-mentioned and other games have indicated the desire to have all playing courts play equally, whether the playing surface friction and dimension, and response of ball strikes on net cords.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the various aspects and exemplary embodiments are presented below.